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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26625475">A Turtle and a Borrower</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CptMop/pseuds/CptMop'>CptMop</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Borrowers AU, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Giant/Tiny, Injury, M/M, Not Beta Read, Size Difference, Tiny Person, gentle giant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:54:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,231</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26625475</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CptMop/pseuds/CptMop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo knows there's something going on in the lair but his brothers don't believe him. He manages to find out the cause but it's... a small person?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leonardo(TMNT)/Avery(oc)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Well, hello there</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Loosely based on the Borrowers where there are little people living the walls who borrow stuff from the people who live in the houses. This features Avery, an oc of mine who in this au is a borrower living in the walls of the lair. Mainly wrote it on a whim haha;;</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leo has never seen anything like this- or to be more specific, he has never seen anyone like this. It looked like a tiny human, about three inches tall and he was able to hold them in the palm of his hand. He had no idea what to do or if any of this was real. For all he knew he could have just been imagining this whole situation like his brothers kept saying he was. Of course anything was possible, but when he gently squeezed them with his thumb, it felt completely real. </p>
<p>For the past few weeks he had seen this small creature running through the kitchen and sometimes living room, grabbing whatever they could before quickly disappearing. Every time He brought it up to his family, they would wave it off as some weird prank he was trying to set up. He was unfortunately used to not being taken seriously and decided that he needed to take matters into his own hands as he began to plot out his scheme. Leo had spent a long time looking around the lair, every now and then seeing small holes in the wall that, even though they were there years ago already, seemed to have new meaning. Living in the sewers it was obvious that nothing was going to be clean and seeing walls being run down and broken in parts was pretty common. But the more he looked at these holes and crevices, the more he realized how there was more to it than he initially thought. Sometimes he saw random objects that were once lost but now were behind the wall. Other times it looked like he saw string or tacks being fashioned into a ladder formation. It was clear that there was much more going on and he was going to find out.</p>
<p>So it happened that one day he hid himself in the kitchen when everyone else was asleep and waited patiently for the small visitor. And sure enough, after seeing some movement in one of Mikey’s spice racks, he took the chance and managed to snag something. Judging by the size and movement he initially thought it was a rat, which wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. But the moment he slowly opened his hands to look, he quickly shut them closed again before he decided to run to his room for more privacy. </p>
<p>Now here he was with a tiny human in his hands that looked absolutely terrified. He felt bad the more he looked at them. Originally he was gonna shove this discovery into everyone’s faces (especially Donnie’s) but now he was feeling like the bad guy. “Hey hey it’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt ya.” He whispered, not wanting to freak the person out more as well as not wanting to disturb his sleeping brothers. </p>
<p>Leo sat down on his bed as he carefully held the tiny human in his open hands, doing what he could to ensure they were safe but also not wanting to let them go just yet. He had plenty of questions that needed to be answered and he wasn’t going to give up so easily. The small person slowly seemed to calmed down a little bit but continued to stare right back at Leo, seemingly afraid of what would happen if they looked away. Eventually, after an awkward silence between the two of them, they adjusted themselves so they were sitting more comfortably. “...what do you want with me?”</p>
<p>Their voice, just like their body was small. But Leo was still able to hear it as he nervously smiled. “I was just curious, I swear. I kept seeing you running around the place and I wanted to know more. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”</p>
<p>They did a little huff as they crossed their arms. “You could have asked.”</p>
<p>Leo couldn’t help but blush a little as he watched them. That was super cute. He grinned as he poked him gently on his cheek with a finger. “Yoouuuuu kept running away every time I even got a glimpse of you so how could I?” </p>
<p>The tiny human nearly fell backwards from the poke but he grabbed his finger, which was giant compared to him, to hold himself upright. Still, knowing that even if they did fall back that they would be safe was comforting to think about. He was so used to being scared and careful of everything that this was a nice change of pace. “Fair enough. But how was I supposed to know you weren’t going to hurt me?”</p>
<p>Seeing and feeling their little hands on his finger made him want to just hold them and protect them. He couldn’t really explain this sensation as his face turned red. “Do I really look like I would hurt you?”</p>
<p>The other blushed as well as they saw Leo’s face soften and look very genuine. Perhaps hecould trust him. This was the first time he had ever encountered any big people and though they looked a lot different from what he imagined, he felt at ease. Smiling, he leaned his head against Leo’s finger. “No, you don’t.”</p>
<p>Leo eventually had to look away as he felt embarrassed by how much he appreciated that gesture. He laughed quietly before looking back at them. “So, what’s your name? I’m Leo, or Neon Leon as my brothers call me.” </p>
<p>“Neon Leon huh?” They laughed. “I’m Avery.”</p>
<p>“So, Avery, do you really live in the walls?”</p>
<p>They leaned back into Leo’s palm while humming in thought. “The walls, the floor… wherever I can stay that’s safe really.”</p>
<p>“Safe?”</p>
<p>Avery chuckled a little. “The world isn’t exactly friendly to someone my size as you can tell.”</p>
<p>Leo frowned a little before he got an idea. “Well if you need a place to stay that’s safe you can stay here in my room.”</p>
<p>He blinked and looked at Leo confused. Once again his expression and tone were genuine but they didn’t know how to feel about this. “Why?”</p>
<p>Leo shrugged. “Why not? You were in the kitchen to get food right? I can easily get some for you instead of having to risk your life for it.”</p>
<p>Avery felt conflicted. How can they be so nice?! “That’s nice of you but I don’t feel right accepting that. I have nothing to offer you in return. Look I’ll just go back and-.” He tried to stand up but felt a sharp pain go through his leg that forced him to fall backwards.</p>
<p>“Woah- hey!” Leo was shocked to see them suddenly fall like that as he cupped his hands together to make sure Avery didn’t have a rough landing. “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>He groaned as he tried to sit back up and looked at his leg, suddenly noticing that it was not as straight as it was before. “I think I broke it? I don’t know how though.”</p>
<p>Leo felt a wave of guilt go through him as he thought about it. Maybe when he went to grab Avery initially he was too rough? “I uh… think I might have done that…”</p>
<p>Avery thought about it for a moment and realized that he was probably right. They sighed as they laid down in his hands. “Well this sucks.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry! I can have my brother, Dee, look at it for you. He always helped us out whenever one of us broke some bones.”</p>
<p>Avery hesitated, not sure if this was a good idea. Still with how his leg was there was no way he would be able to get around like before. Not without some sort of help. “Alright. I guess I’m not going anywhere for awhile anyway.”</p>
<p>Leo grinned as he held Avery up to his cheek as he nuzzled the little guy. “This is great! I get to prove my brothers wrong AND I get a new roommate.”</p>
<p>Avery was blushing really hard as the giant turtle nuzzled him. He had no idea what he just signed up for. “Okay okay enough!” He tried to push himself away but could only manage so much. “Look, can it at least wait until morning? I’m sleepy and in pain.” That wasn’t entirely true, he wasn’t that tired but he was definitely feeling his leg act up the more he was being moved.</p>
<p>“Right-“ Leo chuckled sheepishly as he put down Avery on the open spot of his bed that was next to his pillow. The little guy was like a doll. It was hard not to want to just hug and squeeze him with how cute he was. Still, he did his best to refrain as he laid down beside Avery, pulling the blanket over them. He couldn’t get over how small he looked on the bed with the big blanket over him now. “If you need anything let me know.” </p>
<p>Avery huffed again as he turned away from Leo, trying to ignore all the pain that action caused him. “I’m not a baby.”</p>
<p>Leo couldn’t help it as he placed one of his hands on top of Avery, using his thumb to gently rub his head. “No, but as you said you’re not going anywhere for awhile. Not with that leg anyway.”</p>
<p>Avery’s face was completely red as he felt the gentle rubbing on the back of his head and the comfort of being held like this. <i>Why is he being so nice to me? He’s probably looking down on me. As soon as I can I’ll leave. I don’t want to be babied like this and I don’t want him to worry about me.</i> He closed his eyes as he tried to get comfy. Despite his mental attempts to ignore all of the physical affection, he unconsciously wrapped his arm around Leo’s finger as if to pull it closer. He couldn’t deny how comfortable this was. </p>
<p>The turtle smiled as he felt Avery’s tiny arm on his finger as he also closed his eyes, ready to drift to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hesitation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leo wakes up excited only to see his new friend is gone. He tries to find them only to learn his brothers are starting to worry about him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Guess this is gonna have multiple chapters because this is really fun to write haha</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The clock had struck noon when Leo finally started to wake up. Normally he would’ve gotten up earlier but he had ended up spending a fair amount of time last night awake. He yawned, noticing that he had somehow managed to stay in the same position as he had fallen asleep in, and his hand still cupped on the side of the bed. As soon as he remembered what had happened, he smiled. “Good morning-“ but when he lifted his hand, there was nothing. He grabbed the blanket and carefully moved it, but didn’t see anything. Where did Avery go? He got up and began to look through his room but wasn’t able to find anything. Did he dream the whole situation? It was possible but with how real it felt, it was hard to shake off. Even after he had spent a good hour looking, he couldn’t find anything that suggested Avery was there. He was beginning to lose hope. </p>
<p>Leo sighed as he scratched the back of his head, not really knowing what to do with himself now. He didn’t want to face his brothers after the big fuss he ended up making but if he just stayed in his room it would only make them worry. Not to mention it would also be incredibly boring. Maybe if I don’t say anything they won’t bring it up. He walked out of his room into the main area and saw Raph and Mikey hanging out in their usual spots. Raph was of course busy lifting weights and Mikey was busy drawing away in his sketchbook while occasionally looking up to ask a question. Not long after Leo had walked out, the box turtle looked up and waved at his brother. “Good morning! About time you woke up.” The younger turtle teased. “I made sure to leave you some leftovers from lunch in the fridge.”</p>
<p>Leo smiled. Mikey was always so thoughtful, even when they would get up to their usual mischief they would always look out for each other. “Thanks Mike!” He called back as he made his way to the kitchen, making sure to wave to Raph during one of his breaks before exiting the main area. As he walked into the kitchen, he immediately groaned as he saw who was there. Sitting at the table was Donnie on his phone as he slowly drank from a cup half way filled with juice. </p>
<p>Always the observant one, Donnie glanced up from his phone and grinned slightly. “You woke up late.”</p>
<p>Leo took a deep breath in as he refused to acknowledge the other turtle and just made his way to the fridge. There were the leftovers Mikey mentioned, in a small plastic container with a note on the lid that read ‘Hope you’re doing alright Leo! I made your favourite pizza rolls. Enjoy!!’ With a drawn smiley face in the corner. He opened the container and grinned at the pizza rolls laying in there all neat and tidy. Maybe this will help keep him from getting mad at Donnie. He still refused to turn around to face his brother as he put the food in the microwave to warm up. </p>
<p>“Mikey was worried about you.” Right on cue, Donnie chimed in, not even bothered by the fact that Leo was trying to ignore him. “You almost never sleep in this late.”</p>
<p>“I was busy last night.” The slider retaliated, focusing on the timer on the microwave, watching the seconds go by.</p>
<p>“Another bout of insomnia? Or were you perhaps busy trying to find your little people?”</p>
<p>Leo finally whipped around and saw Donnie’s face lit up with an ever growing grin. “What I do is none of your business. Besides I didn’t wake anyone up so why should you care?”</p>
<p>“Well when we find the kitchen a mess and a brother missing, it’s not hard to put two and two together.”</p>
<p>Leo’s eyes shot downward, straight to the ground as he realized that what happened last night wasn’t a dream. If he did make a mess in the kitchen, then it was almost certain that he did in fact meet Avery. But where could he have gone with his injury? At this point Donnie was expecting to see Leo look embarrassed, only instead to be greeted by him having a huge smile on his face.”I was right!”</p>
<p>“Right about what?”</p>
<p>Before he could answer back the microwave dinged. He grabbed the container and gave his brother a sly grin back. “You’ll see.” He ran over back to his room leaving behind a confused Donnie, who could only shrug as he went back to his phone.</p>
<p>Leo closed the curtain to his room as he looked around again, but this time keeping an eye out for any holes in the walls that he might have missed. There were two he found with one right behind his shelf that sat above his bed and another that was hidden all the way in the corner of the room, just a few feet away from where Avery was sleeping. Normally he never looked there because of his bed being right next to the wall, but it made sense that it would be a good spot for someone small to hide. He grabbed the edge of the bed and tried to move it just enough so he could get a better idea on where his new friend could have gone. As he was trying to get a good angle, he didn’t notice Raph peek in and eventually pull back the curtain. “Leo? What are you doing?”</p>
<p>He jumped at the sudden voice behind him. What was Raph doing here?! “I’m just… reorganizing my room! Trying to get those good Feng Shui vibes going.”</p>
<p>Raph sighed as he shut the curtain behind him as he walked in further. “Donnie told me what you were doing last night.”</p>
<p>Leo tried to laugh it off. “Since when does Donnie know what happens outside of his lab during the night?”</p>
<p>Raph wasn’t impressed and just folded his arms while looking down on his younger brother. “Look, I don’t care what you do when the rest of us are asleep. But not only have you ended up making a mess by yourself but you also ended up worrying Mikey.” He glanced over to the container of uneaten pizza rolls and groaned. “He even went out of his way to make you something special to help and you brushed it to the side. Now what’s going on?!”</p>
<p>The more the slider listened the more guilty he felt. Every time he tried to come up with an excuse, it would disappear as he looked at Raph’s concerned and disappointed face. He took a deep breath as he tried to gather his thoughts and think of something to say that wouldn’t make the situation worse. “Look, I know I must seem crazy but I’m not making any of this up, I swear. I can’t really explain it right now but I promise I will when I’m able to. Okay?”</p>
<p>Raph rolled his eyes. He wasn’t impressed but he also knew that Leo was really wanting everyone to trust him more. This seemed like a bad idea but he wasn’t going to go crush his brother’s enthusiasm. “Fine. But if you wind up making a scene again you have to drop this whole thing. Got it?”</p>
<p>“Got it.” Leo beamed, feeling like he just made huge progress. “I’m not gonna let you down! I promise!”</p>
<p>The snapper didn’t respond as he just left the room, honestly just wanting this whole thing to blow over already. But it didn’t matter, Leo was going to make this happen!</p>
<hr/>
<p>Many hours had passed as noon turned into evening and evening into night. Leo had sat himself next to the hole in the wall he found, occasionally putting out tiny cut pieces of food next to it hoping to entice his new friend. But as he waited, nothing seemed to happen and as it got later into the night he could feel himself slowly start to drift asleep. He laid on the floor, head next to the wall so he could easily react to it- or at least that was his plan as he had one arm under his head and the other resting on the ground. Gradually his eyelids began to drop as he started to relax. Maybe some rest will help…</p>
<p>“Way to roll out the welcome mat.”</p>
<p>Leo forced himself to open his eyes when he heard a voice coming from seemingly right next to him. When he finally managed to focus his vision in the direction of the sound, he saw Avery sitting on top of his arm that was next to his head. Without missing a beat, Leo immediately moved his other arm to grab him, not thinking too much about how much force he was using. His patience was running thin. “Oh how convenient that you show up when everyone else is asleep, AGAIN.”</p>
<p>Avery felt the air being pushed out of his body as he was grabbed, not to mention his leg was still in bad shape. “H-hey!” He tried to push against the tight grip he was in but wasn’t very successful. </p>
<p>Once Leo realized what he was doing he sighed, sitting up right with his shell against the wall and slightly loosened his hold on the little guy. Still obviously not wanting to let him go anywhere but he wasn’t going to be worried about being crushed either. The turtle frowned as he got a closer look. “Why’d you leave?”</p>
<p>Avery breathed deeply once he was able to but quickly noticed that he wasn’t really able to do much else. He glanced up at Leo but had to quickly look away as he couldn’t face the disappointment written in the others' expression. All he could do was look down and try to remember what he had practiced earlier. “I… “ But of course, the words weren’t coming out right and he just ended up looking like a fool. “...I don’t suppose I can say I got stage fright huh?” He felt the grip tighten again- okay that was the wrong choice of words.</p>
<p>“Stage fright?! I was just trying to help you out!” Leo wasn’t really caring about the volume of his voice at this point with how frustrated he was. Thankfully his brothers were already used to loud noises coming from not only each other, but also ambient noises that often came from the sewers where they lived. </p>
<p>Avery on the other hand was not used to this loud of noise, especially coming from someone much bigger and who was also right in front of him. It was booming as he winced from the sound. Eventually it started to make him upset as well as he glared up at Leo. “Trying to help? You’re the one who injured me in the first place! Why should I trust you anyway?!” He was starting to get really riled up.</p>
<p>As soon as he heard Avery retaliate Leo backed off and made a face. “You know I didn’t mean to.” </p>
<p>Avery calmed down a bit as he noticed Leo quiet down. “Look, I’ve lived my whole life terrified of everything especially of big people like you. I know you in particular don’t mean any harm but what about others?” The grip on him loosened some more as he was finally able to move his hand as he put it on Leo’s thumb. “I left because I was worried about others seeing me. I’m sorry.” He retracted his hand and folded his arms over his legs. “I’m a coward.”</p>
<p>Leo relaxed as he watched the other curl up in his palm. Getting a better look at him, he noticed that Avery was dressed in clothes made of patches of random pieces of cloth. But more importantly, he saw a self made splint on their leg, with what looked like a toothpick tied around to stabilize it. “Avery, I get it. But please let me help you. How do you even know that splint is going to work?”</p>
<p>He tried to hide his leg awkwardly as if it would somehow help. “It’s not the first time I got hurt and had to fix it myself. It’s fine.” Avery hesitated for a moment. “Plus I uh… I don’t really know if I can trust your brothers. Sorry.”</p>
<p>Well it wasn’t what he wanted to hear but at least Leo felt like he was hearing the truth. He couldn’t help but laugh quietly as he pondered it for a bit. “Okay fair enough. Knowing Donnie he might try to experiment on you if you let him.” Of course this only made Avery start to freak out as he stared up at a Leo who laughed even harder. “Don’t worry, I’d never let him. Not after what he did to my old pet hamster.” He attempted to reassure him only to be met with a horrified look. </p>
<p>“I have no idea what a hamster is but please don’t let me near him.” </p>
<p>Leo burst out in a laughing fit while Avery blushed in embarrassment. “Like I said, I got your back. I know all of his weaknesses so he can’t do anything to me or you.” This brought up another question as he looked down at Avery curiously. “If you’re so scared of meeting my brothers, why’d you come back?”</p>
<p>Avery hummed as he leaned against Leo’s thumb. “...I felt bad about leaving last night and I wanted to at least come back to apologize.”</p>
<p>“Hmmm? That’s it?”</p>
<p>Avery started to blush again as he mumbled his words. “And… cause… I…”</p>
<p>Leo grinned at the blush and leaned in closer. “I’m sorry what was that?”</p>
<p>“...Because I like talking with you.”</p>
<p>Leo couldn’t help but bring Avery up closer to his face. “I like talking with you too!” He smiled at him for a few moments before he had a more serious expression on his face. “If I make sure Donnie doesn’t do anything weird and doesn’t tell anyone else, are you willing to let him look at your leg?”</p>
<p>Avery paused as he frowned. He really didn’t want to but he also didn’t want to keep making Leo worried about him. “...alright. I trust you.”</p>
<p>Leo beamed as he stood up immediately, causing Avery to fumble a bit. “Then we’re gonna see him right now before you get the chance to run off again.” </p>
<p>“W-Wait what-“</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A fix for everything</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leo finally takes Avery to see Donnie about his injury. It soon turns into a question session as the brothers learn more about Avery.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Donnie had been working away at his desk like usual, not paying attention to anything else that may have been happening in the lair. His lab emitted that usual neon purple that he was so fond of with the only other source of light being the sparks coming off of his soldering tools as he worked on his latest project. This was the usual business for him late at night when everyone else was asleep. He preferred the peace and quiet compared to the usual chaotic nature that filled the lair during the day and often took advantage of the fact that he was usually the only one awake. The soft shell hummed to the music blasting in his headset as he leaned back in his chair, taking a small break as he pulled up his goggles and looked up at the ceiling. With the music and his constant focus on his work, he didn’t notice at all when Leo had walked in. The slider leaned over his brother to look at him from above which caught Donnie off guard, yelping as he fell over. “Ow!”</p>
<p>Leo rolled his eyes as he waited for Donnie to get back up. He of course wanted to rail into him with a barrage of snarky comments and “I told you so”s, but being that he was trying to get his brother’s help for once, he decided to hold back… for now.</p>
<p>“Leon what was that about?!”</p>
<p>“It’s not my fault that you zone out hard core whenever I need your attention.”</p>
<p>Donnie sat back up in his chair and stared at Leo. “Look, I already told you I’m not helping you with that make-believe project of yours. Little people don’t exist!”</p>
<p>“Actually, we’re called borrowers.”</p>
<p>“Right okay whatever they’re called it’s…” Donnie blinked as he looked over at Leo who had both of his hands cupped together, like he was holding something delicate. “Leo… did you-“</p>
<p>Before he could finish his question, Leo grinned as he lifted his hand that was on top of the other to reveal Avery who was sitting there in his palm, patiently waiting. Donnie took a long moment to just stare at them, trying his best to figure out if it was a very detailed puppet that Leo had made or if it was the real deal. No, there’s no way this was real. He raised an eyebrow as he stood up and walked over with a hand over his mouth. Donnie kneeled so he could get a closer look as Avery tried his best not to freak out. As soon as Donnie went to touch him, Leo immediately pulled back his hands as if out of protection. “First things first.” He leaned forward as Donnie looked away frustrated. “One, I was right and you. Were. Wrong.” Leo chuckled as he used his free hand to poke his brother’s cheek. “Secondly, NO experimenting on him. I know what you’re thinking and it ain’t happening.”</p>
<p>At this Donnie slapped away Leo’s hand and stood back up straight. “Before I can even acknowledge that you’re right, I have to make sure it’s actually real. You know I’m not someone you can just bring anything up with and expect me to automatically believe you.” He glanced over at where Avery was. “For all I know you could’ve just sewn together a little puppet and threw your voice. After all that is something YOU told me you’ve been working on for your next ‘magic show’.” Donnie folded his arms, waiting for Leo’s response.</p>
<p>Leo still kept smiling as he brought Avery back, who at this point really just wanted to hide but had nowhere to go.”Look real enough?” He took a step back and properly faced his brother. “I have a proposal. If you help him with his leg, I won’t tell anyone else about this. As far as they’ll know I made the whole thing up and finally gave up. You can’t tell them anything either. Unless… you WANT to admit to Raph and Mikey that you were wrong?”</p>
<p>Donnie scowled. Every part of his brain was telling him not to accept this deal, especially with how smug Leo was being about it. But when he saw the makeshift splint on Avery’s leg he sighed. “Fine. But only because it’s clear he needs help.” He looked at Avery and could tell he was scared. The soft shell could tell that Leo probably had to make some sort of deal with the small person as well to even get to this point. He kneeled a bit so he was roughly at eye level with Avery. “And only if you’re okay with it.”</p>
<p>Avery hesitated but he did feel himself begin to calm down when he realized that this… Donnie was treating him like a real person finally. Not to mention he was beginning to feel more and more like some weird trophy being flaunted around right now with how Leo was talking. He nodded as he tried to smile- or at least look less scared than before. “If it’s not too much trouble, anyway.”</p>
<p>Donnie smiled back as he held his hand out for Avery to walk over to so he could start looking at the injury. As he crossed over to the other palm though he couldn’t help but notice Leo looking a little jealous. “Well would you look at that. He’s so much more polite than you’ve ever been, ‘Nardo.” Donnie teased as he walked Avery over to his work table so he could get a better look.</p>
<p>Leo huffed quietly as he folded his arms. “Just remember, don’t you dare try to experiment on him.”</p>
<p>The soft shell had already let Avery go to sit on his desk before he turned to face his brother one more time. “If you’re just gonna stand there and be annoying then why don’t you go and sit back there and relax? This shouldn’t take too long.” Leo sat down on a chair not far from Donnie’s workstation and crossed his legs, watching his brother. At this, Donnie couldn’t help but roll his eyes before he turned back to Avery. He pulled down his goggles so he could get a better view on the injury. “Let me know if this hurts okay?”</p>
<p>As Avery nodded, Donnie went ahead and grabbed some tweezers to take apart the makeshift splint so he could start inspecting their leg. Every now and then Avery winced from the pain, but he tried his best to keep still. After a few minutes Donnie leaned back and folded his arms in thought. “Without an x-ray I can’t tell for sure if you have a leg fracture.” He sighed while pushing up his goggles. “I could make one small enough. But that doesn’t help you right now.” He thought out loud before he rolled on his chair over to one of his shelves, picking up a few things and rolled back over. “I’ll make you a temporary cast for now, and if we’re lucky, your leg will heal properly so that when I use the x-ray we won’t have to do any adjustments.” He laid out his tools, most of which consisted of materials used to make a mold. “Does that sound good to you?”</p>
<p>Avery blinked and tried to smile but it was not necessarily out of happiness. He felt nervous the more he heard Donnie talk; he had never heard of an x-ray or a cast. Everything sounded so foreign to the borrower. At the same time, the soft shell turtle spoke with enough confidence that Avery didn’t feel so scared as to refuse. “You seem to know what to do so I say yes.”</p>
<p>Donnie chuckled a bit. “I always know what I’m doing, don’t worry about that.” At that comment, Leo leaned back and dramatically rolled his eyes which nearly made Avery burst into laughter, only just barely holding it together. The sudden change in expression on Avery’s face made Donnie sigh and look very annoyed. “Leo, why don’t you go to bed? The cast will take some time to set.”</p>
<p>Leo frowned as he pushed his chair close enough to be right next to his brother’s. “You just said it wasn’t going to take that long!”</p>
<p>“Well to be fair it really didn’t take that long to diagnose him so I didn’t lie. It’d be best to do the cast right away so there won’t be any risk of making the potential fracture worse.” </p>
<p>With how calmly Donnie spoke, Leo decided to back down somewhat. He glanced over at Avery who also seemed to be more relaxed than before as he returned the look, not really sure what to add to the conversation if he even could. “...well how long will it take?”</p>
<p>“About 45 minutes give or take. I don’t know where the fracture exactly is so I’ll wrap the whole leg just in case.”</p>
<p>Leo leaned back in his chair and laughed. “That’s not so long. I can wait that out no problem.”</p>
<p>Donnie didn’t wait for his brother to respond as he had already begun to organize the materials he brought up and started the process. “Suit yourself.”</p>
<p>About a half hour into Donnie working away on Avery’s leg, it came to no one’s surprise that Leo had already fallen asleep in his chair. By this point, the cast was already made and it was simply a matter of waiting for it to dry. Avery was in awe by how much more sophisticated it looked compared to the toothpick splint he had made for himself. Everything in Donnie’s lab looked amazing and so much more different from what he was used to seeing. With his size though, everything seemed so far away and inaccessible. As they were waiting, Donnie couldn’t help but ask the borrower question after question, the only thing holding him back before was not wanting Leo to barge in out of nowhere.</p>
<p>“So, you’re called borrowers?”</p>
<p>“Yeah- at least that’s what my parents told me.” Avery shuffled so he could get more comfortable.</p>
<p>“Do you all look like small humans?”</p>
<p>He crossed his arms as he thought. “I don’t think so but I’m not entirely sure? I’ve only seen a few other borrowers and they looked like me but I have heard of other borrowers looking different.”</p>
<p>“Fascinating… so maybe you’re all actually yokai instead of humans?”</p>
<p>“Yokai?”</p>
<p>The term itself sounded familiar but Avery couldn’t quite put where exactly he had heard that term before. But not long after he asked Donnie quickly began to explain, what yokai were, what he and his brothers were, and more. Eventually, the conversation was just them asking each other various different questions that ended up going for hours on end. They were both so engrossed in each other's answers that to them time didn’t even seem to exist anymore. By this point, any and all fear Avery had of Donnie seemed to disappear and instead replaced by curiosity and great respect for him. While he didn’t understand much of all the technology and inventions that was strewn about the turtle’s lab, he was impressed by everything he saw. Likewise, Donnie was intrigued in hearing and imagining all the different ways that borrowers had to be creative just to survive. Avery in particular Donnie was impressed by while he heard about the different ways he made his way around just in the lair, let alone where else he’s been in the sewers. But it did bring up one question that seemed to stand out above the rest.</p>
<p>“...Do you live by yourself?”</p>
<p>Avery paused for a moment as he looked down slightly away from Donnie. “It’s been years since I last talked to anyone before you guys so… yeah.” He chuckled nervously as he tried to lighten up the mood. “Although technically I’m living in the same place as you and your brothers so I’m not… REALLY alone.”</p>
<p>Donnie was about to respond before he suddenly felt a hand push his face away as Leo barged in, looking like he had just woken up. “Wait what?! You never told me you lived all by yourself!” Avery jumped when he suddenly saw the other turtle appear out of nowhere and he quickly waved his arms. </p>
<p>“I-I mean I’m not… ALWAYS alone I just… haven’t seen my parents since I was a kid.” He mumbled the last part out which only served to make Leo freak out even more.</p>
<p>“WHAT?!”</p>
<p>Donnie huffed as he pushed his brother back away. “Stop shouting you’ll wake up Raph and Mikey.” As soon as he got Leo out of his personal space he looked back at Avery. “I ask because I was thinking I could come up with ways to help you make your way around the lair.”</p>
<p>Avery blinked as he listened. “Really? Why? I haven’t done anything for you two and here you’ve already helped fix my leg.”</p>
<p>“Because-”</p>
<p>“Because you deserve it! Also we’re not letting you live by yourself anymore end of story.” Leo once again barged in and interrupted his brother before he could properly respond. Donnie went and forcibly pushed Leo back into his chair looking more and more annoyed.</p>
<p>“I apologize for my brother’s rude behavior and as much as I hate to admit this, he’s right. You don’t need a reason to help others and quite frankly, I’ve enjoyed our brief conversation a lot and I’d enjoy more of your company if you ever wanted to converse more.” Avery didn’t know what to say as he just, looked at the two of them and kept waiting for them to say “psyche!” Or put him in a jar to experiment on later. Instead, he got the opposite. “Besides, this has got me thinking if it’s possible to make you… well, normal sized. Only if you’re okay with that though.”</p>
<p>The small borrower blinked and just sat there, trying to understand what he just heard. Make him… normal? “You mean, like you two?”</p>
<p>Donnie nodded, this time getting out of the way already as Leo jumped up one last time. “That’d be amazing! Then we could hang out outside the lair and we could take you to see movies or get pizza or play games!” He paused as his face lit up even more. “Or maybe Donnie you could make a shrink ray so we can go see Avery’s place and meet other borrowers!”</p>
<p>The soft shell sighed. “Remember when I said to keep it down?” Donnie glanced at Avery who was just sitting there, looking down at the desk. “Again, only if you’re okay with it.”</p>
<p>Avery didn’t know how to feel. Why were they helping him so much? Why did they care? They literally just met. And yet here they were talking as though they wanted him to stay for weeks, if not months to come. Not that he was against it. Truthfully, he felt his heart flutter when he heard Leo tell him that they weren’t going to let him live by himself anymore. It was all he wanted to hear, and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t deserve any of this. How could he ever return the favor? He felt like he should decline their offer but he didn’t want to make a scene… and last time he left Leo got upset. Avery held his arm as he thought. If he stayed, he would have to find some way to pay them back. That was the deal that he made with himself as he looked back up at the brothers and smiled. “...that would be really cool if it was possible. I’d really like to hang out with you guys more if you’re offering.”</p>
<p>Before he could react, Leo immediately reached out and grabbed him, picking up from the desk and held him up high. “Good! Because we’re not taking no for an answer.”</p>
<p>“Leo just because you really want him to stay doesn’t mean you should make him.” Donnie remarked as he started to clean up his desk.</p>
<p>“I just meant that he has to stay at least to make sure his leg is alright.”</p>
<p>“And that’s all?” Donnie asked with a raised eyebrow. Avery didn’t really know what to take from that question but he did notice Leo blush a bit before he saw that he was being held closer. “At least give him his own bed to sleep in. I’m pretty sure April gave Mikey one of her old doll houses that could have stuff in it for Avery.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah! I’ll ask him about it later when he wakes up.”</p>
<p>“Assuming you didn’t wake him up already.” Donnie looked at his phone and noticed it was a lot later than he originally thought. “Well I’m gonna lay down for a little bit before breakfast time. What do you want me to tell Raph and Mikey if you’re a no show again, Leo?” He stood up only to notice that his brother wasn’t even paying attention to him and instead had already positioned Avery to be sitting on his shoulder. Donnie couldn’t tell if Leo was treating him more like a pet than a person but the borrower didn’t seem to mind. The soft shell coughed into his hand as he tried to get their attention.</p>
<p>“Ah you’ll think of something. If it’ll make you feel any better I can set an alarm.”</p>
<p>“Please do or I’ll set one up for you whether you like it or not.”</p>
<p>Leo stuck his tongue at Donnie before he walked out of his brother’s lab and back to his room. Thankfully, nothing had changed from before other than the time that had passed. After he moved his bed back to its original position, he placed Avery in the same spot as the night before and got himself settled in bed as well. Avery had a bit of difficulty maneuvering his body with the cast on his leg but he knew better than to mess with it, especially with all the hard work Donnie put into it. Still, he managed to sneak himself underneath the blanket and yawned. He had no idea how living with Leo and his brothers would work out, but as he looked back at the turtle who was still beaming at him he couldn’t help but feel safe. Things would never be the same but, maybe that was for the better. “You gotta tell me some of the stuff you were talking to Donnie about since I missed out. I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep.”</p>
<p>Avery laughed as he adjusted under the blanket so that he could wrap himself up in it. “Maybe one day. G'night Leo.”</p>
<p>Leo did a little pout but ended up laughing as well. “G'night Avery.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You bet Leo is gonna sign his name on that tiny cast</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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